"With Joe's long-term health and career being our biggest priority, in conjunction with Joe, we've made the decision to take him out of the program and give him a full rehabilitation to make sure that gets better.

"That will be a minimum of four weeks (on the sidelines), but we'll be taking as long as required to make sure that Joe is fully recovered and available to play at his best."

Whether the Bombers are still a finals contender when Daniher returns remains to be seen.

John Worsfold's team has ample talent but is mired in the bottom four after Saturday's 23-point loss to the Hawks.

Essendon are the only side yet to win a third quarter this season and are down a whopping 136 points in that term.

The Bombers face a danger game on Saturday against arch rivals Carlton.

While the Blues are winless, they will fancy their chances of an upset.